Born from The Water
by PhoebeSnow
Summary: Steve returned each of the infinity stones, but he saved the soul stone for last. To think that such a small object could be the source of his misery was astounding. Regardless of how he felt, Natasha was gone and nothing would change that. Right?


Steve walked onto the platform, infinity stones in a briefcase and Mjolnr in hand - he also had the necessary tools to put the stones back in the form they were originally in before they'd been stolen. The supersoldier waited as Professor Hulk counted down the seconds before he was sent into the past. Once he reached each destination, he took notice of his surroundings and replaced the stones as quickly and efficiently as he could.

He saved the soul stone for last as he knew that would be the most difficult one to replace.

The soul stone that Natasha and Clint retrieved could only be gained by sacrificing a life. A soul for a soul is what he said when he came back, face contorted in anger. Steve had left immediately after Clint explained what happened. He didn't blame the other man, but he still couldn't help feeling angry and selfishly wished that the archer turned assassin had been the one to make that sacrifice instead.

Through the fight against Thanos and his armies, Steve felt like an unfinished puzzle without Natasha by his side. Half of his heart was gone and she would never come back. Regardless, he surged on, knowing his wife's sacrifice was not worthless. And the Avengers proved that.

He could still see Tony's lifeless body lying among the rubble after he snapped Thanos and his minions into non-existence. It hurt, knowing that the man was dead and that his sacrifice had left a wife and child behind. God knows they had their share of disagreements, but Tony deserved a better ending than what he got. Thanos was defeated, but the fallout would touch the Avengers lives and their loved ones for a long time, perhaps forever.

Now Steve was on Vormir. It was a dark and dreary planet, but he kept his feet moving, knowing that each step would bring him to the cliff where his wife sacrificed herself. Tears filled his eyes, but they didn't spill. Not yet anyway. As he neared the top of the cliff, he was greeted by a black hooded creature.

"Steven. Son of Sarah. It has been a long time since we last met."

The supersoldier flinched and stared in disbelief as the shadowy figure in front of him revealed its face. "Johann Schmidt?" He felt his fists clench. Anger pulsed through him as he remembered crashing into the Arctic thanks to this madman. "What are you doing here?"

"I was absorbed into the space stone. It rejected me and transported me here where I am doomed to stay and guide those who come in search of the soul stone to where it lies."

_So this is where he ended up. I'm sure he regrets trying to find the space stone. _Not that Steve cared one way or another. Johann Schmidt was a horrible man while he'd been alive as a human and he deserved this fate. Steve felt no pity for him.

He glanced at the edges of the cloak around the apparition, noticing how he hovered above the ground. He really did have a non-corporeal state. It was strange and eerie, like something out of an old horror film, but he ignored the tingles that ran down his spine and walked past the former Red Skull to climb the mountain.

"That which you seek is no longer here."

"I know. I've come to return it."

"This has never been done before."

Steve said nothing in reply.

When he reached the top of the precipice, he walked to the edge of the cliff and peered down. It was a very long drop and he felt a knot grow in his throat as a wave of sorrow hit him in the gut.

Natasha sacrificed herself, but what were her final thoughts in that time? Did she feel fear? Did she hope that she'd never feel the impact? Did she remember the last time she saw Steve's smile when she said _see you in a minute_, voice light, eyes full of eagerness, not knowing what would happen in the next few hours?

He hadn't even said good luck to her because he was so certain that nothing would go wrong. And now, he'd lost the only woman he loved, his soulmate. He never had the chance to say goodbye.

"Grá mo chroí_...my beloved..._I am so sorry."

Steve dropped the soul stone.

It glowed as it traveled down the chasm until it hit the ground. Steve fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands, chest racking with sobs as the tears finally slid down his cheeks. He hadn't cried like this back home when they had Natasha's private memorial. Even when he gave her eulogy, he kept himself from breaking down.

It was different here. This horrible place had been where she gave her own life to spare Clint's family from losing him, to save her Avengers family, to save a world and most of them would never know what she did, how selfless she was and how pure hearted. Natasha Romanoff had been a true hero to her very end.

Steve's head began to hurt from weeping, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He had no idea how long he stayed there on the cliff, eyes red, face wet with tears.

Then something strange happened.

A blue light came down from above and it was so bright that Steve could see it behind his fingers. He moved his hands away from his face, marveling at how beautiful the light was. He'd never seen such a beautiful color before in his life. It kept moving lower until it stopped in front of him, hovering in the air. Curious, he reached out to touch it, but the light spread out in a flash, blinding him and he shouted in surprise. Everything went dark.

Steve opened his eyes slowly and blinked. He was lying on his back in a shallow pool of water, far away from the mountain he'd been on. How strange this place was. He'd been on top of the mountain and a strange blue light came down from the heavens. What was that light and where had it come from? Many thoughts raced through Steve's head as he sat up, but he wasn't alone. His hand was clasped to something, no _someone_.

His pulse sped up and he turned to look. What he saw gripped his heart. Natasha lie next to him, her fingers gripping his in a way she could only do if she were alive. Steve pulled her to him and looked at her face. Her eyes were closed, but her chest moved up and down, so she was breathing.

"Nat, wake up! _Wake up_!" He shook her, but she did not open her eyes. Her breathing continued steadily, but that was all.

What the hell was going on here? How was she holding his hand so firmly like this, but not awakening? Steve had no idea what to do and he was desperate to find an answer. Natasha was in his arms, but she was unconscious. What could he possibly do to wake her? He felt tears spring up again. Was this some kind of curse? Was she really just a figment of his imagination? Was he doomed to never speak to his wife again, never hear her sweet voice?

Steve pressed his head to hers and closed his eyes. Everything in the world that mattered to him was the woman he held in his arms. This couldn't be the end, not now. The tears finally ran down Steve's face and he leaned in to press a soft kiss to Natasha's pink mouth.

He felt nothing in return and he started to draw back, but then she responded to the kiss! He heard her sigh and felt her cup the back of his head with the hand that previously squeezed his so tightly. Their lips moved together in passion.

In the back of his mind, Steve was reeling! His every nerve was alert and he was wondering if his kiss had somehow awakened her. Steve pulled away and held his wife's face in his hands.

"Nat...are you real? Please tell me I'm not just dreaming."

Her lips trembled and she shook her head. Tears filled her eyes, sliding down her cheeks as she replied, "No, Steve. I'm real. I promise you."

A strangled cry came out from his throat and he hugged her tightly, clinging to her like he was afraid she'd slip through his hands. She touched the middle of his back and kissed his head, caressing him until he stopped shaking and faced her again.

"I don't understand how this is possible. Clint said to get the stone, you had to sacrifice a life."

"Yeah. A soul for a soul. That's what the guy said."

"The Red Skull."

"I thought something about him was familiar." She cocked her head to the side. "Maybe this soul for a soul thing works in reverse too. I'm sure that no one has ever returned the stone before-"

"That's right. He said it's never been done."

"Okay. Then maybe my soul was transported into some kind of limbo." She looked at Steve and he furrowed his brow. "Well, maybe not, but what happened? I don't understand how my body is still here." She touched the back of her head and felt no blood. "I'm not even bleeding."

"The how and why don't mean anything, Nat." He placed a palm to her chest and her heart was beating strong. "**This** is proof that you're alive. I have you back and that's the only thing that matters to me." He laughed and kissed her neck, but he didn't stop there. He also kissed her chin, cheeks, forehead, nose, temples and her eyelids.

Natasha felt warm from the love he showed her and she embraced it gladly. She had no problem with letting her husband make up for lost time. Once he was finished, his hands went around her waist and pulled her closer so she was seated in his lap. Yes, they were still in a pool of water, but neither one of them noticed.

"What do you remember?"

"Falling," she replied. "There was a sharp pain on my head and then nothing. I must have died instantly, but after I fell, I had a sensation that I were going up someplace too. At the risk of sounding cliché, it was like an out of body experience."

The redhead sighed and shook her head. "I don't even know how to explain it. It's almost...like I was in a dream, but I wherever I was, I wasn't there for long. I came back down and saw you on the mountain. I didn't know what was going on and then, you reached out for me and I felt this strange tug."

Steve's eyes widened. "It was you. The blue light. That was your soul coming back."

She nodded in agreement. "It had to be. There's no other explanation for something like that."

"Nat, when your soul came down from the sky, I was amazed. You know it's blue? I've seen a lot of colors in different shades, but yours puts them all to shame." He grazed her cheek with his thumb and smiled. "It was the most beautiful, ethereal light I'd ever seen. And so bright."

Her lips trembled. "Really?"

"Yes. I will never forget it for as long as I live. Your soul is _pure_."

Tears fell once that last word was uttered. Natasha gasped, pulling him into a hug. Her head buried into his upper torso and her fingers clung to his shirt. "That means..." By giving her life to save humanity, she had done the ultimate heroic sacrifice. The ledger she'd spent so many years trying to wash the blood out of was finally clean. Perhaps it already had been. That was what Steve had believed for a long time and he was certain of it now that he'd seen her soul in person.

He pressed his lips to her forehead. "It's like I told you years ago. The red in your ledger is gone, Nat, and you are not a monster. You never were."

"Oh, Steve!" Natasha laughed joyously and squeezed him again. Their lips met again for a slow, sweet kiss, then they held their foreheads together for a while, reveling in the comfort of being in each other's arms.

It must have been well over an hour when she stood up, bringing him with her so their embrace wasn't broken. "Let's go home."

In a flash, they disappeared from Vormir, never to return. Now that Steve and Natasha were reunited, their future was a brighter. This was not the end of their story. It was merely the beginning.


End file.
